THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK WOMEN'S SOCCER… Upper Iowa (3-9-2, 2-7-2 NSIC) takes a long road trip to North Dakota for a pair of NSIC matchups against Minot State University (7-4-3, 5-4-2 NSIC) and University of Mary (5-6-2, 4-5-2 NSIC). The Peacocks will face the Beavers in a Friday evening showdown at 7 p.m. before heading to Bismarck for a date with the Marauders at 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. The Peacocks have gone 2-2-2 in the last six contests and carry a three game unbeaten streak into the weekend.
A LOOK BACK… The Peacocks spent the last two weekends at Pattison Field for four straight NSIC matchups where they finished 1-1-2. Last weekend, UIU increased their unbeaten streak to three games after drawing with St. Cloud State University (1-1) on Friday afternoon and defeating the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (1-0) on Sunday.
Katie Samuels converted both of UIU's goals from roughly the same distance out over the head of the keepers. Friday's goal was unassisted off a free kick set up by a Huskie foul while Sunday's came from the help of
Jordyn Ostrowski who recorded her first assist of the season. Samuels now has four scores on the season to lead the Peacocks.
Natalie Rudrud recorded 20 saves between the two games to record the team's second draw and her third blank sheet of the season. The saves also marked her highest weekend total in the seven weeks of competition.
FRESHMEN LEADING THE PACK… The freshmen trio of Samuels, Rudrud, and
Aimee Sies have played a huge role in the Peacock's current unbeaten streak. Samuels scored two of UIU's three scores in the stretch, one which served as the game-winner against UMD. She also took a team-high eleven shots and put five on frame. Defensively, Rudrud and Sies led the way in only allowing two goals in the 310 minutes of action. Rudrud turned away 33 of 35 opponent shots for an impressive 0.943 save percentage and Sies played a vital role in UIU's defensive effort that blocked twelve opponent shots. The freshman from Belleville, Wis. has played 680 consecutive minutes and came up big against Augustana University by aiding Rudrud in saving the Vikings second-effort shot in the first period that would have given them the early lead.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS…
vs. MINOT STATE UNIVERSITY… The Beavers (7-4-3, 5-4-2 NSIC) are also on a three game unbeaten streak after settling for a 1-1 draw against the University of Sioux Falls and topping Southwest Minnesota State University 2-0 in last week's action. MISU currently sits 7
th in NSIC standings with 17 points and 10
th in regional rankings that were released on Wednesday. The Beavers have outscored opponents 26-16 (3
rd most scores in the NSIC) this season and have found themselves in six overtime matches this season (1-2-3) with their lone win coming over Concordia University, St. Paul (1-0). Sofia Lewis leads the team with 10 goals (tied for 2
nd highest in the NSIC) and 5 assists for 25 points while Haley Berryman trails close behind with six goals and three assists for 15 points. Lewis recorded her first career hat trick against the University of Minnesota Crookston and the lone MISU goal against Sioux Falls while Berryman contributed a goal in the SMSU victory. Jordyn Cook has four assists on the year with all but one of them coming in the last three games. Erin Raggerty has started at goalkeeper in all 14 games but the Beavers have also seen protection from Mackenzie Long. Raggerty has posted 39 saves, Long has added 8 and the two have combined for a 1.07 goals against average.
THE SERIES… The all-time series between UIU and MISU is tied at 4-4-0. UIU won for the first four contests of the series but the Beavers have answered back with four consecutive wins to tie the record. The teams have exchanged postseason victories with UIU's coming in 2014 and MISU's in 2016. The Beavers scored two goals in a four-minute span midway through the second period to steal a 2-1 win over the Peacocks in 2017. Berryman scored a pair of those goals for MISU.
vs. UNIVERSITY OF MARY… The Marauders (5-6-2, 4-5-2 NSIC) took a jump to the #9 spot in NSIC standings after back-to-back 1-0 shutouts against Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls in last week's action. UMary other conference wins came over Minnesota State University Moorhead (1-0) and Wayne State College (2-0). Caylin Cathey is the Marauder's lead scorer with six goals on the season while Hannah Richter, Megan Lowery, and Lisa Swardh each have a pair of scores. Last week, Lowery scored the game-winner against USF and Malia Brudvik scored her first season goal against SMSU. Madisyn Waltman has recorded 45 saves and allowed 14 goals for a 1.12 goals against average. Ten of UMary's 15 goals have come in the first half of play and the Marauders have allowed 12 goals after halftime. The Marauders will face Winona State University on Friday afternoon.
THE SERIES… The Peacocks lead the all-time series 7-5-0 despite dropping two consecutive decisions in 2016 and 2017. UIU has outscored the Marauders 15-8 along the way with all but one of the Peacock's losses being decided by one goal. The Peacocks claim the biggest point differential with a 4-1 win in 2014.
